Qi Luna, Hayama, and Nonō formed a triangle around Sakumo. Their gazes were wary yet determined. They knew the man before them, Konoha's White Fang, possessed unfathomable strength, but because of the limited space, they had little room to retreat.
Qi Luna struck first, her Kunai flashing with a cold gleam as she charged at Sakumo like a phantom. At the same moment, Hayama and Nonō moved in from either side, trying to split Sakumo's attention.
However, Sakumo moved as nimbly as a swallow, easily weaving among their attacks. His short sword swept out in sharp arcs, dispelling their assaults one by one.
Qi Luna gritted her teeth and quickened her attacks again, sending a rain of Shuriken toward Sakumo. Hayama seized the opening to use Wind Release, hoping to disrupt Sakumo's movements. Nonō, meanwhile, searched for the best moment to strike.
But Sakumo seemed to have already anticipated their every move. He deftly avoided the Shuriken and easily evaded the gusting wind. His silver-gray hair swayed in the airflow, but his gaze remained calm and sharp, and each of his movements precisely deflected their attacks.
Though the three worked together with seamless coordination, Sakumo stood firm like an immovable mountain. Their attacks were like waves crashing against a reef—futile.
As time passed, the three grew increasingly exhausted. They had nearly used up all their ninja tools, and even their breathing had grown ragged.
Sakumo, however, remained composed and showed no signs of fatigue.
He looked at the three tenacious young ones before him and gave a slight nod, seemingly praising their courage.
Sakumo then put away the White Fang and slid it into the sheath on his back.
"The exercise is over."
At his words, the tension finally left the three, and they collapsed to the ground.
Looking at the exhausted trio, Hatake Sakumo only smiled warmly before beginning to review the exercise.
"You did very well. Your coordination wasn't exactly seamless, but for your first time, you still did a commendable job."
Qi Luna forced herself to sit up and listened attentively.
"However, you were too eager to attack and didn't make full use of your surroundings. You also didn't accurately predict my movements," Sakumo analyzed patiently.
Hayama scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Sensei, we just wanted to show you everything we could do."
That was right. In Qi Luna's eyes, there was no way three freshly graduated Genin could defeat a Jonin in an environment with almost no cover. So from the beginning, she had set their goal as showing Hatake Sakumo everything they could do, strengths and weaknesses alike.
Sakumo nodded. "Showing your abilities is a good thing, but you also need to learn to adapt in actual combat. The situation on the battlefield can change in an instant. You can't focus only on attacking head-on."
Nonō straightened up too and asked humbly, "Sensei, how can we improve our judgment?"
Sakumo thought for a moment before answering, "During training, observe your opponents' habits and attack patterns. Use that information to build up your experience."
"For example, during the exercise just now, you could have paid attention to changes in my stance and when I chose to strike."
"Communication within the team is important too. You need to share information promptly so you can make better judgments."
Sakumo smiled. "Battles aren't won through passion alone. They also require calm and wisdom. Take Qi Luna's Shuriken attack just now. If she had combined it with Hayama's Wind Release, it might have been more effective."
Qi Luna fell into thought. She felt she really hadn't done enough in that regard.
Hayama's eyes lit up too, and he nodded thoughtfully.
Sakumo continued, "Actually, I learned about your abilities before the teams were assigned."
"This exercise also showed me that Qi Luna is skilled in Water Release, Hayama in combining Wind Release with swordsmanship, and Nonō in using the Chakra Scalpel. You've all reached Chunin-level strength, and Qi Luna is even close to Jonin level. In terms of chakra alone, she has far more than some Jonin. As expected of the Uzumaki Clan."
"In the days ahead, I'll give you specialized training to address your weaknesses while taking you on missions. I'm sure your abilities will improve greatly after some time."
The trio's eyes burned with determination. They knew this was a good opportunity to improve, so they stood and bowed solemnly to Sakumo. "Sensei, we'll do our best!"
All three nodded, taking his words to heart.
"All right, that's enough for today. Go home and get some good rest. Meet me at the village entrance tomorrow, and I'll take you on the first mission of your ninja careers," Sakumo encouraged them.
Qi Luna and the others stood up and responded energetically, "Yes, Sensei!"
Then, carrying everything they had gained from the day, they left the school with firm steps.
On their way home, as they neared the Senju Clan Compound, Qi Luna ran into Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato. They had finished their team assignment test too and were heading toward the compound.
"Oi, you're done over there too?" Qi Luna greeted them cheerfully.
Uzumaki Kushina planted her hands on her hips, looking smug. "Of course! You know how strong I am. Snatching a bell or two was easy-peasy~"
Namikaze Minato smiled and nodded beside her, though there was a hint of awkwardness in his smile. It seemed the test hadn't gone quite as smoothly as Kushina claimed.
Qi Luna had more or less guessed what happened, but didn't press her. She put an arm around Minato's shoulders and said quietly, "We just finished our exercise with Sakumo-sensei too. He said I'm already close to Jonin level. Minato, you're the strongest in our year after the top student, so don't let me get too far ahead of you~"
Uzumaki Kushina's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Qi Luna's arm. "Come on, tell me what happened in the exercise!"
Qi Luna recounted the whole thing with great enthusiasm, and everyone listened with keen interest.
Then Namikaze Minato spoke up. "Our sensei also said he'd give us special training so we could get stronger and carry out missions."
Qi Luna said excitedly, "Our sensei said the same thing. He's taking us on our first mission tomorrow!" They all chatted animatedly about the ninja path ahead.
Before they knew it, they had reached the entrance to the Senju Clan Compound. They promised to work hard together from then on, said their goodbyes, and Minato headed home.
That night, back in her room, Qi Luna began reflecting on everything she had seen and gained during her four years in Konoha.
She remembered how unfamiliar everything had seemed when she first arrived in Konoha.
Although she was of the same clan as Uzumaki Mito, currently the strongest person in the village, she had still worked hard to fit in. She had made friends with people like Akimichi Yoshimaru, and had become close friends with Namikaze Minato, the father of the future child of destiny whom countless fans called the perfect ninja.
After returning home, she had trained hard as well. Using the Water Release training notes left behind by Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, she had mastered most of the techniques recorded in them. And with Grandma Mito's guidance, she had awakened the Uzumaki Clan's Kekkei Genkai abilities: the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Yet she had always felt that her soul didn't belong in this world.
It wasn't until today, when she had felt the near-death terror during Sakumo-sensei's exercise, that she finally came to her senses. She had hidden most of her strength, but she had also clearly recognized how naive she'd been.
"Ah~ This is a dog-eat-dog world, a damn awful world. No wonder Obito wanted to create a world of illusion in the future. Those people who say the female demons of the Ninja World are still going strong would probably be the first to drop dead if they came here..."
Qi Luna clenched her fists. "But I won't run away like he did. Since I've come to this world, I'll do everything I can to change it!"
"Before I got here, the Ninja World was damn awful. If it's still just as awful after I've arrived, then what was the point of coming here?"
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